Dancing to the Revolution: Sheena Campbell – A Lost Leader

In October 1992 Sheena Campbell, a 29 year old Sinn Féin activist and law student was shot dead in the York Hotel Belfast. It is widely believed that the British military and the RUC colluded in her killing. Seventeen years later and Sheena's loved ones are still awaiting the full facts surrounding her death. Sheena Campbell was a bubbly and joyful person who enjoyed life to the full. She was also a very serious and farsighted player on the republican political field – in effect 'a lost leader' whose foresight and vision helped turn the tide for Sinn Féin on the electioneering front. And, as the song says, “Finally the tables are starting to turn.” This booklet is dedicated to Sheena’s life. It is the third in the Republican Legends series, succeeding the stories of two other republican icons: Brian Keenan and Michael Gaughan.

The Legends project is about republicans recording our own history while the stories still remain in the memories of the surviving families and friends of the subjects of these booklets. It’s also about sharing the various chapters of the republican story as experienced in different parts of the country, and there is much to be learned from that exchange.